


birds of volleyball players stay on the court together

by tenderwrites



Series: #ushitenweek [2]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Middle School, Birds, Fluff and Humor, M/M, Pining, Singapore
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-24
Updated: 2019-09-24
Packaged: 2020-10-27 12:24:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,070
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20760329
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tenderwrites/pseuds/tenderwrites
Summary: The one-of-a-kind sweat-inducing environment that Eita and Satori did not expect themselves to be in, but all they have is themselves and the air-conditioning of bird exhibits.Until one eagle-enthusiast comes along for the ride, and it's definitely not a smooth one.)





	birds of volleyball players stay on the court together

**Author's Note:**

> #ushitenweek: Day 2 (Any Trope)
> 
> The other prompts for Day 2 were Hurt/Comfort and Angst/Fluff, so naturally I went with Any Trope because it's kind of fun to imagine any kind of scenario characters would be in haha. 
> 
> Naturally, I love Singapore and the Bird Park as a nature-lover and a local, and of course, I'm not associated with them in any way, shape or form; the information that you see here is pure coincidence. 
> 
> Me writing Ushiten isn't coincidence though hehe. 
> 
> (Majulah Singapura!)

A tall, intimidating smoothie of berry flavour sits snug in Satori's hand, while two straws suck the life out of it towards its very last drop. The other straw belongs to his trip buddy and best friend, Eita, who fidgets about in the vicinity of the ticketing booth. Children tug at wristbands and tourists swarm about in queues and groups, and they are no exception. 

The refreshing beverage serves as a comfort in the throes of humid air but smoothie or not, sweat drips from their heads in constant succession. They stand amid the sweltering and dry climate of tropical Singapore. 

This was truly the last place they thought they would be going to when the school announced that they would be going on an overseas learning trip to advance 'their knowledge of the natural world'. But neither of them had even been to another country by their family's volition, much less their own. 

Their imaginations and the Internet were the only options they had. And so, on one fine afternoon when the cicadas sang and there was no school, they dreamed up the Western countries that seemed so near yet so far. The European countries that promised choice cuisine, as well as the Asian countries that boasted scenery also introduced whole new worlds to them. 

Worlds of fascination and wonder, and here they were, smack dab in the middle of the famed Garden City, with air-conditioning in every corner and food enough to make you grow a second stomach. It wasn't their first choice by a long shot, but they were astonished that a small country could host an airport of such grandeur. 

From the airport all the way to the hotel they were going to be staying in, the bus was a bath of lively chatter, with Eita and Satori discussing the food options that they could wolf down on. They went back and forth as to which delicacy would be the best, and ultimately agreed on one thing. 

The heat was  _ insufferable _ .

"Why did we have to come here anyway? It's so damn hot!" Satori complains, swiping at his forehead and pulling at the collar of his uniform. 

"Just yesterday you stuffed yourself silly with curry fish head and now you want to go someplace  _ else _ ? Bear with it for a while, would ya?" Eita fixes him with a narrow stare, before shoving the drink back in his arms. "Here, you can have the rest of it." 

" _ I'm in your debt. _ I'll remember your mercy even if I get old and wrinkly." 

Eita punches his shoulder playfully and gestures towards the moving student body of their school.  _ Time to go,  _ he mouths and they stretch their limbs, eager to finally get some feathered action. As they're shuffling towards the stuffy turnstiles that reek of body odour and dirt, blue macaws screech from the photography stand nearby and Satori gasps, screeching an imitation cry in return. 

Mating calls, much? 

" _ EITA _ ! Look, there's blue macaws! Just like that one bird movie we saw!" 

Eita claps his hands over his ears and pushes the other through the turnstiles, making sure they get orange wristbands for the attractions. The poor bird park worker beside the turnstiles looks equal parts confused and terrified at the same time. He feels the need to apologise for the disturbance in the environment. "Satori, don't scream so loud, you're disturbing others!" 

"But they're so fluffy! I wanna hold them!" 

"It doesn't negate the need to be quiet!" He counters softly and Satori unwillingly keeps his mouth in an adamant line. For some reason, he can feel a murderous, killing intent directed towards their being and the atmosphere surrounding their two-person group freezes Eita in place. 

The homicidal tendencies of their teacher cannot be mistaken for anything else.

" _ Satori, Sensei's looking at us! _ "

The bespectacled woman clad in a purple cardigan shifts her glasses at them as a warning and it catches a ray of light which momentarily blinds them both. "Alright, students. Report back here 3 hours later at this entrance. You may go wherever you wish but remember to act in a way that is respectful and represents our school.  _ Not in a loud and brash manner _ ." 

It serves as a not-so gentle reminder for the both of them and Eita gnashes his teeth together. 

He bows apologetically and seeing as Satori won't even flinch, pushes down on the top of his head to make him bow too. When she nods in approval and turns around to get maps for the students, Eita brings down a karate chop on his head. 

"Ow, hey! What was that for?" 

"You know exactly what it was for, you dumbass." Eita lets go of an exhale, which he's been holding throughout that whole ordeal of a instructional lecture. He grabs the map their teacher hands to them and scan the colourful exhibits labelled by birds in flight, together with accompanying leaves. "Let's go to the penguin exhibit. I think it's more cooling in there." 

"Yeah, let's go,  _ teacher's pet. _ " Satori deftly avoids a second slap to his head and he chuckles, all smug. He derives entertainment from Eita's suffering, until he sees the standing penguin cutout at the front of the exhibit and  _ squeals.  _ "Penguins, you say? What are  _ you _ standing around for? Let's go!" 

He prepares to charge in but Eita holds up the back of his shirt. "Wait. We have to show them our wristbands." 

"What is with this place and  _ wristbands _ ?" 

They brisk walk, neither one of them winning over the other for long, until a different worker looking bored out of his mind gets a glimpse of their wrists. He ushers them in with the enthusiasm of exhaustion loitering above his head like a dark cloud and Eita winces. 

They're definitely not paying the guy enough. Or paying the bird park's workers, for that matter. 

Entering proves to be soothing, as a blast of cold air greets them and they sigh in relief. Any respite from the blazing Singaporean sun was appreciated and if it came with waddling penguins, it was something worth rejoicing. Satori ignores all care for his safety and crashes into an empty spot of glass, which startles both the penguins and anyone present that wasn't busy cooing at the black-and-white birds. He mumbles to himself while being pressed against the plexiglass which Eita is sure is something about how adorable they are, so he takes a step back and takes a gander of the room. 

Inside the exhibit was a mock penguin habitat that consisted of small hills and slides that served to imitate glaciers that curved every which way. There was a pool that Eita was sure was freezing and Satori wanted to jump into. Bowling-pin shaped birds filled the icy ridges of fake-Antarctica and as they puff up their chests and multi-coloured feathers, he feels himself getting mesmerized by the dreamy view of winter birds living and playing. 

Eita grins and pulls out his camera, clicking away at the eccentric poses that the penguins establish. This was almost a runway show, with models strutting like they owned the place and proudly displayed monotone pieces. 

He feels as if he could stay here forever together with them. 

The cool air tickles at his skin and the dim lighting puts him at ease. Eita can feel his eyes closing to cherish and live in the moment. 

"_Eita_, _there's a baby_ _penguin._" Satori whispers with his phone flashlight illuminating his features, his figure gone from the glass display and a ghastly tone erupting from the bowels of his throat. 

" _ Jesus christ _ , Satori, you scared the shit out of me!" Clutching at his stomach, the dastardly bird lover holds onto the nearby railing and chokes out crying laughter. Several tourists fix him with dirty looks but he prances around Eita in response, taunting and bobbing his head up and down like an owl. 

" _ Oh my god! _ You're so easy to scare!" 

The penguins slide away from him on their stomachs, which he thinks is a pretty well-deserved punishment for Satori. Considering all that he's been through, the karma knocking on his door makes him stagger towards it in expectancy of delivered pizza. 

"Yeah? Well, where's this baby penguin you're talking about?" 

"Right there! It's close to the ice pellet machine." Satori breaks off into a sprint and Eita rushes after him, nearly losing sight of him. The energy that this childlike speed demon possesses passes even humanlike boundaries and he's surprised he can even keep up. 

"Be careful, you stick insect!" 

A reassuring smile tells Eita all he needs and Satori manages to get up on the first stair landing, but an uninterested kid that's had enough of birds swimming shoves him to the side roughly. The brand new mobile game on his phone is the only thing that he's willing to give any time of day. He ought to give the brat a piece of his mind but he's slipping off the wooden landing. 

_ Oh, I'm falling.  _

The precariousness of the situation he's in doesn't register completely, until the ringings of locals and tourists' cries make him understand exactly what he landed himself into. 

He could blame the kid who didn't have his priorities straight or blame his own impulsiveness, but Satori closes his eyes and prays that it boils over soon. 

Eita filters in between the scores of people but he can't possibly reach there in time, and so he's shouting for Satori. He pleads for  _ anyone to just save him from serious injury,  _ when a pair of trustworthy arms grip onto his biceps and drags him onto the second landing. 

"Are you alright?" The calm in a storm was speaking; the arms that drag him up belong to someone that had a figure akin to a high schooler, but wore a Shiratorizawa Middle School uniform. He's tall and towers over everyone else in the exhibit, and he stands out from a low vantage point of view. The light from the penguin habitat reflects off the glass and gives Satori a taste of his kind, genuine features.

"No! Yes! I mean, no! I mean, yes! I'm okay." He sputters out his words of goo, still groggy from the surreal experience of falling through the air and being saved all at once. It was like a reverse rollercoaster, if that made any sense. In Satori's delirious state, his eyes unblinking and grateful, he asks, "What's your name?" 

"Ushijima Wakatoshi. I'm in my last year at Shiratorizawa Middle School." 

"Ushijima-kun, thank you for saving me. I owe you one." The temporary glory of the baby penguin is forgotten completely and Satori wobbles off the landings with Eita's help, and he hopes the wistfulness in his eyes can be communicated to Wakatoshi via penguin exhibit light. "I don't know what I would have done without you." 

Wakatoshi nods and waves at them, seemingly unfrazzled by the strange duo. One of them had crimson red hair that burned brightly in the dull colours of the viewing stands and was a walking contradiction, while the other had jet black hair the colour of his uniform and wouldn't stop thanking him. 

He watches as the two of them trail off and out of the exit, the black-haired one supporting the intriguing red-haired one back out into the roasting heat for some fresh air. He wishes them luck in his heart, hoping that they don't have to involve themselves in another accident. 

Well, no bother. The penguins weren't going anywhere and he had time to spare, so helping someone out was a bonus. 

\---

It isn't so much of the heat that beats down on them that makes them pant, but the emotional highs and lows spent in that exhibit were just too much for them. A narrowly avoided catastrophe weighs on them like a raincloud and they take time to catch their breath and regain their composure, before Eita explodes and sends volcanic rock flying in diagonal directions. 

" _ What were you thinking? _ You can't just run off on your own even though there's birds you want to show me!" 

Satori pouts and walks around in circles to gather his thoughts, the same way a bird would fly in a circle. "It ain't all my fault. Some kid entranced by his phone pushed me, otherwise I wouldn't even think of falling." 

"Still, you should still be careful and be aware of your surroundings. We're far away from Miyagi, you know. Nobody except local clinics and hospitals can help us." Eita determinedly rambles on, wanting to strike a chord within Satori, but all he does is watch the fishes far off in the distance flick and curl their tails in search of food. He stops and takes a recess, stepping in front of Satori and waving in front of his line of sight. 

"Sorry, am I saying too much?" 

"A little, but you're fine,  _ Mama Bird _ . Let's go see those lories that I want to look at." Satori's smile lights up his eyes and he skips ahead towards the lory loft, the specific part of the bird park map a repeating, clear image in his mind. He wants to look at birds and he'll do it  _ if it's the last thing he does. _

Not even a minor accident will stop him or his bird (mis)adventures. 

"Heh, alright." Eita runs after him, giggling when Satori starts making bird noises and flapping his arms. 

_ At least I got the pictures I wanted.  _

\--- 

"And now, ladies and gentlemen! Welcome one and all to 'Birds of Prey'! We're very egg-cited to have you here today, especially since we have something new and exciting lined up for you! Say hello to our feathered friends, everyone!" 

The crowd in the bleachers animates to life and three cheers for predator birds are given, and Eita has to wrench Satori back down to his seat. But who can blame him, really?  _ There were going to be real-life eagles and falcons up close and personal with an audience.  _

Frankly, he couldn't wait to see them do some kind of mind-blowing stunt in midair and with the way Satori's eyes sparkled at the centre stage of the show, it was a safe bet that he was on the edge of his seat. 

He leaped off of it entirely when a falcon swooped in from a hidden ceiling portion above their heads and the both of them arched their necks to see and gape at its show stopping flight trajectory. It curves and makes sharp turns none of them thought were possible, but finally dives towards the stage and lands gracefully on the show host's safety gauntlet. The crowd goes wild, even more so for the audience alongside Eita and Satori. 

"Give a hand for Luna!" Satori's cheeks blaze with pure euphoria and he pulls on Eita's sleeve, thoroughly creasing the material and stealing his attention away from the falcon snacking on a piece of thrown meat. 

"Her name is Luna! Have you ever seen a bird so precious  _ yet so dangerous _ ?" 

"Not once in my life have I ever. She's so beautiful!" Eita confesses, transfixed by the way Luna picks away at the offered meat and swallows it whole, and the bold arrangement of brown and grey feathers that are tucked neatly under careful preening of her beak. She's confident and could harm any of them in a second, and he thinks that he's never seen a more perfect bird in his life. 

His paradigm of the show was already at an all-time high, until the show host smiles mysteriously and gives a shrill whistle signal. 

"Give it up for our next up and coming stars!" The audience whirls around, only to be met with the long-spanning wings of two ospreys circling above in a synchronized dance routine and disregarding the stairs completely, charging past bewildered park visitors. With the speed they cut through the air, Satori can only shake a stuttering Eita as they share toothy grins at the twin birds of prey that dominate the skies. The ospreys zip down from the air in a tornado-like fashion and Satori rips his throat raw to scream for them. 

" _ Dude. _ " 

" _ Dude _ , I know." Eita echoes. 

" _ That was amazing! _ " They chorus together, their eyes blown open from birds soaring and feathers ruffling, and they watch with piqued interest as Luna and the twin ospreys are introduced to the audience formally. They sit obediently on the host's assistants' gauntlets and trot along the length of leather gear as trained, and Satori almost misses the last and most exciting segment of the show. 

"Last but not least, our main attraction for today! He's rather shy, so we're going to have to encourage him a little. Shall we?" 

The host throws her arms up and the crowd goes absolutely ballistic, so much that she breaks into a wider smile and raises her left hand up as if to command silence. However, the real purpose is to gesture for an eagle to steal everyone's breath away as it weaves through the lines of stairs and swerves as fast as a car through the photography-addicted few. 

For a moment, the stands of the show are bare and deserted, and Satori's left alone with the eagle on a plane of emptiness which regards him with an air of regality. It's the king of the birds and he commands law and order. He feels the courage to step up and pledge allegiance to the eagle, by some twisted logic. He allows his limbs to do the talking, and stands by his side as it rules and oversees the bird kingdom. He is the eagle's loyal knight and would defend him to the world's end. 

The eagle morphs into Wakatoshi and the plane of land that spoke of a grand kingdom shifts into a volleyball court. Wakatoshi gears up for a spike and leaps up, hurtling the ball down to secure a point for his team. He's majestic and made even more so by his silent cheering and teammates that run towards him. He's there to witness the limits of a shooting star and Satori stares at his tape-encased fingers, moving them to make sure what he was imagining was real. 

Satori snaps out of his self-induced reverie, only to find the very person on stage himself. 

"May I know what's your name?" The host holds the microphone towards his face but she's thrown wholly out of view; all Satori can focus on is the face that appears so mundane and yet, can give enough for him to have a daydream about. 

Who exactly was Wakatoshi? 

"My name is Ushijima." 

"Pleased to have you on our show, Ushijima! Now, can you identify the type of eagle that is on my arm?" The eagle croons in response and Wakatoshi's filled with the urge to touch it, but he stands up straight and his voice booms into the microphone. 

"This bird is a bald eagle, otherwise known as the  _ Haliaeetus leucocephalus _ ." 

At first glance, there seemed to be no bottom to the wealth of knowledge he held. As the questions that had Satori spiralling in his thoughts kept coming, Wakatoshi answered each of them correctly and scientifically. It struck Satori that the throes of science had its clutches on him. 

Even the host gave the impression that she was marvelling at the bank of facts he had, which prompted her to give away all of the tokens that she had planned for the afternoon show. It was well-deserved and well-received, as throngs of people that were rarely well-spirited gave thunderous applause to him. 

Satori didn't even notice when the show neared its end course and the tourists clad in scuffed shorts and souvenir shirts filed their merry way up towards other exhibits. His hands held onto the bottom of his plastic seat for dear life and as Eita pulls out their map to see where the entrance was located, Satori steps over his directional endeavours and crosses the staircase 2 at a time to greet Wakatoshi loading all of his tokens into his backpack. 

There was a driving force that spurred him to do so and even as he's bundling down the stairs at full speed, he has no clue what to say to him. 

The only thing he knows is how warm his heart feels while staring up at Wakatoshi talk about eagles, as if nothing else existed in the world. 

"Ushi--Ushijima-kun!" 

"Oh, hello. You nearly fell at the penguin exhibit." Pleasant surprise is a concept that he never knew could paint the canvas of Wakatoshi's features and Satori breathes out a nervous laugh, hands fumbling behind his back. 

"Yeah, it's me. I--I didn't really get to introduce myself, so I want to do it now. I'm Tendou Satori and my friend's Semi Eita, and I'm really, truly grateful to you. I heard you talk about eagles and I'm a bird lover myself, so it was really refreshing." 

"Pleased to meet you, Tendou-kun. Your name's really interesting. I'm also a bird lover, so bird facts are what make up my free days." Wakatoshi gives a little, knowing smile and Satori nearly collapses into mush on the stairs. 

Precious, yet dangerous. He thinks back to the fun choice of words he used on Luna the Falcon, which just about slot nicely into his description of Wakatoshi. 

"Free days? What do you do when you're busy?" 

"School and volleyball, put simply." Wakatoshi mocks the receiving of a ball as he sounds out the very word. "Do you play?" 

"Of course! It's my first love. My coach won't let me block the way I want to, though." 

The Shiratorizawa Middle School volleyball player's eyes define the cycles of dawn and dusk, and Satori can see millions of stars that wink at him. 

It's an andromeda of splashed colour. 

"Why's that? Do you not score points?" 

"I do, but it involves guess blocking, where I jump up to where I guess the spike will go to. I'm pretty good at it even, but Sensei won't let me do it. Fortunately, I'm in my last year, so next year hopefully I'll go to a high school where I can freely play the volleyball that I love." The team spirit of volleyball runs wild in his veins, but if the team won't cooperate and play alongside him, Satori can't do much to salvage the situation. 

Wakatoshi seems to share the same sentiment. 

"That sounds kind of risky, but do what you love. I wish you luck for next year." He picks up his backpack and adjusts it on his back, a sign that he's needed somewhere and has to go. "It was really nice meeting you, Tendou-kun. Having someone to talk to about volleyball once in a while is liberating." 

"You don't talk about it to anyone?" Satori tilts his head in confusion. 

"No. Most of my team do it for leisure or for fun." 

"Then--" Satori cuts him in his tracks, jumping up on the next stairwell. "Then I'll be the one to talk to you about volleyball! If you want to, of course. We can exchange emails or numbers." 

Wakatoshi's galaxy spins in bewilderment and the planets go off orbit, but they gently ease out of their initial turmoil. He beams brightly and Satori's sure he can see the orchids of mediterranean Lion City in his cheeks. 

Sheepish, he looks away in unconcealed embarrassment.

"I would gladly oblige." 

"Alright!" He's not sure how he managed it, but he's succeeded in getting the kind yet mysterious eagle boy of Shiratorizawa to talk to him and agree to exchange contacts. A win's a win after all; he gives a little airpunch and as he finishes up punching his number and email into Wakatoshi's phone, he bids his retreating form goodbye. 

Man, what a day. How much longer did they have until they had to meet up? 

"Satori, I get that you won over him somehow and got his number,  _ but we're running late and have to meet our teacher in approximately 2 more minutes. _ " Eita interjects from a few seat levels up and waves his arms, which makes Satori crash and trip over the stair landing he's standing on, but he dusts himself off and climbs like there's no tomorrow. 

"What are you waiting for then, ya doof? Let's bust out of here!" 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



End file.
